Winter War in real time

[Lordhen]

The Winter War, a military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland. It began with a Soviet invasion of Finland on November 30th 1939, three months after the outbreak of World War II, and ended three and a half months later with the Moscow Peace Treaty on March 13th 1940.

This thread will be a chronology of the Winter War which began on November 30th and ended on March 31st 1940.

Day 1 of Winter War, November 30th 1939

The Soviet Union invades Finland with 21 divisions, violating three non-aggression pacts.

At 6.50 AM, artillery barrage starts on the Karelian Isthmus. At 8 AM, Soviet 7th Army advances across the entire Isthmus into mine fields pre-ranged by Finnish machine guns and artillery. 9 Soviet infantry divisions plus tanks (250,000 men) are held by Finnish covering forces (21,000 men) in front of the main defensive line (Mannerheim Line). Soviet planes bomb Helsinki.

Initially, Soviet attacks along the 800-mile border from Ladoga to the Arctic Sea meet little resistance. Eighth Army advances north of Lake Ladoga. Ninth Army strikes into central Finland for the Gulf of Bothnia to cut Finland in half. Fourteenth Army aims to capture the Arctic port of Petsamo.

Photo: Soviet SB-2 bombers over Helsinki,November 30th 1939.

YouTube clip (Elmer Davis And The News - Russians Attack Finland)

 

[Lordhen]

Day 2 of Winter War, December 1st 1939

Stalemate continues on the Karelian Isthmus as the Soviet Army infantry advance though dense mine fields and are mow down by Finnish crossfire. Soviet tanks operate independently from infantry, occasionally penetrating Finnish defenses (Finnish soldiers have never seen tanks before and often are terrified) but to little effect.

North of Lake Lagoda, Finnish forces panic and retreat, presenting a dangerous opportunity to the Soviet Army. A Soviet flotilla sails towards Taipale on Lake Lagoda, at the eastern end of the Isthmus. They are to shell Finnish shore batteries and land at Taipale, turning the Mannerheim Line. However, the Finnish guns fire first, forcing the battleship Orangenbaum onto a sandbar (she remains useless for several weeks).

Similarly, Soviet cruiser Kirov is shelled at a range of 24km trying to attack Finnish coastal batteries on the Hanko Peninsula. Damaged by near misses, Kirov returns to Liepāja for the rest of the Winter War.

Photo: Soviet cruiser Kirov.

YouTube clip (Elmer Davis And The News - Soviet Union Will Not Recognize Finnish Government)

 

[Lordhen]

Day 3 of Winter War, December 2nd 1939

Soviet Army advances slowly on the Isthmus with massive casualties. In the far North, a handful of Finnish troops (10th Separate Company and 5th Separate Battery, part of the Lapland Group) face 2 Soviet divisions (104th crosses the border on foot while 52nd takes Petsamo by boat).

The International Olympic Committee cancels the planned 1940 Helsinki Summer Olympic Games.

YouTube clip (Elmer Davis And The News - Germany Accuses Finland)

 

[Lordhen]

Day 4 of Winter War, December 3rd 1939

The Soviets capture small islands in the the Gulf of Finland, including Hogland, Seiskari, Lavansaari and Tytarsaari.

Finnish troops in the Karelian Isthmus continue slowly giving up ground to Soviet 7th Army.

Soviet 8th Army north of Lake Ladoga advances past Suojarvi. However, the Finnish resistance there has stiffened and the Finns are now giving up ground grudgingly.

Photo: Finnish soldiers of the covering group "U" leaves the burning Suvilathi on the Karelian Isthmus on December 2nd 1939. The soldiers are well-equipped for winter.

Photo: Finnish soldiers of the covering group "U" leaves the burning Suvilathi on the Karelian Isthmus on December 2nd 1939. The soldiers are well-equipped for winter.

 

[Kazanov]

Posting this song only because its relevant to this thread.

 

[Lordhen]

Posting this song only because its relevant to this thread.

Nice, i like this war, a real David versus Goliath struggle, and the Winter War is only Round 1.

 

[Lordhen]

Day 5 of Winter War, December 4th 1939

Finnish terrain of deep impenetrable forests and long parallel glacial lakes forces Soviet Army onto the few roads, churned into frozen ruts by heavy tracked vehicles and clogged with horses, men and machines. This road strategy slows their advance everywhere and, worse, forces them into minefields and ranged killing zones in front of the Mannerheim line on the Isthmus. The Soviets grind forward days behind schedule, their hopes for blitzkrieg dashed. North of Lake Lagoda, Soviet 8th Army advances slowly with little resistance but comes in range of Finnish shore batteries at Taipale which pulverise them with higher firing rate and greater accuracy than mobile artillery.

 

[pharaomatic]

Nice thread, looking forward to the Battle of Suomussalmi.

 

[Lordhen]

Nice thread, looking forward to the Battle of Suomussalmi.

Spoiler alert.

 

[Lordhen]

Day 6 of Winter War, December 6th 1939

The Finns claim to have destroyed 64 Soviet tanks and destroyed 24 planes in the previous two days. The Soviets, of course, have thousands more of each.

On the Karelian Isthmus north of Leningrad, the Soviet 7th Army reaches the Mannerheim Line, the main series of Finnish fortifications and obstacles. There are other projected lines to the rear, but this is their best hope of stopping the Soviets. It is garrisoned by the Finnish 2nd Corps.

The Finns are proving expert at handling the Soviet tanks. They separate the tanks from their supporting infantry, then destroy them piecemeal in close combat, often at night.

Day 7 of Winter War, December 6th 1939

Fighting continues in the Karelian Isthmus as the Finnish forward defensive troops fall back to the Mannerheim Line. The Soviets already have a taste of the Finnish defenses as their losses mount attempting to cross the Taipale River at the eastern end of the Mannerheim Line.

 

[Lordhen]

Day 8 of Winter War, December 7th 1939

The events of today mark a climax of recent operations. The highly disciplined and well equipped (for winter warfare) Finns have retreated to prepared positions. They can retreat no further without beginning to jeopardize their rear. The battles begun on December 7th 1939 are destined to be major turning points in the Winter War, for better or worse, but at this point nobody knows which way they will go.

The Soviets attack Kollaa north of Lake Ladoga. It is the center of the Finnish line and provides absolutely vital flank protection for positions protecting the heartland of Finland. Their own deep flank also is vulnerable, but is more easily defended because of the nature of the terrain (lakes and forests). The Finnish 12th Division, along with some odds and ends from other units, has to make its stand here at Kollaa. Their determination becomes a rallying cry for the Finns elsewhere: "Kollaa holds!" The Soviets, though, have more troops, more artillery, and more of pretty much everything except experience in the extreme conditions.

The Finns evacuate Suomussalmi, which is threatened from two different directions. They destroy it to deny the Soviets any shelter. The Soviet 163rd division of the 9th Army (KomKor M.P. Duhanov), seeing this as a welcome gift, is coming up the road to occupy it. The Finns have only scratch forces in the area, two incomplete companies, and are badly outnumbered. The Finns withdraw to the opposite shores of lakes Niskanselkä and Haukiperä. The Finns are using lakes and forests as defensive weapons, and are adept at moving through the woods that the Soviets avoid. The Finns have a plan for Suomussalmi and have not given up on it.

On the Karelian Isthmus, the Soviet 7th Army begins pounding against the Mannerheim Line with no success.

 

[Lordhen]

Day 9 of Winter War, December 8th 1939

Soviet troops of the 163rd Division of the 9th Army (Duhanov) take Suomussalmi without a fight after dark at 9 p.m. on December 8th 1939. They quickly attack across the frozen lakes to the west with two companies. The objective is Hyrysalmi and then, ultimately, Oulu on the Gulf of Bothnia, which would split Finland in two and effectively end the war. However, there is very rough country in between which might not be so obvious from maps.

The Finns who had abandoned Suomussalmi, the 15th and 16th Detached Battalions of the Finnish Army, also know the stakes and are waiting. With a clear field of fire across the frozen surface, they beat back the Soviets and inflict massive casualties. The Soviets regroup and try to outflank the Finns to the northwest, at Puolnaka.

Elsewhere on the front, the Soviet forces also are mostly stopped. The Finns are holding against 8th Army at the River Kollaa. Only the Soviet 14th Army in the far north takes some tundra near Petsamo against three Finnish companies led by Captain Antti Pennanen.

 

[Lordhen]

Day 10 of Winter War, December 9th 1939

Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo is in command of the Finnish 9th Infantry Division in the Suomussalmi area on December 9th 1939. While successful so far, he is facing two Soviet rifle divisions (the 44th and 163rd) approaching from two different sides (north and east), each backed by tanks and artillery. Siilasvuo only has a scattering of infantry between the Soviet troops: 4th Reserve Battalion, 15th Detached Battslion, 16th Detached Battalion, 27th Infantry Regiment, Battle Group Kontula, and the 5th and 6th Ranger Groups. All together, Siilasvuo has maybe nine infantry companies - less than a division. The only saving grace is that some of the men are elite Border Guard Rangers, and every single man is fully committed to the cause. The risk is that the Red Army divisions will hook up and create an overpowering force.

Siilasvuo makes the classic textbook mistake of dividing his forces in the face of a superior enemy. His plan is to defeat them in detail. Siilasvuo decides that his first step is to cut the Raatte Road which is supplying the main Soviet forces in Suomussalmi from the east. He begins rearranging his troops and getting them into position. It will take a couple of days, but the Soviets are having a rough time in the forests and snow so there may be sufficient time to arrange things just right.

Elsewhere, the Finns are holding tough at the Kollaa River - there is a vicious night battle there - and Soviet gains in the far north are minimal.

Photo: Hjalmar Siilasvuo (left) and Alpo Marttinen (right) in snowy terrain, 1939-1940.

 

[Lordhen]

Day 11 of Winter War, December 10th 1939

Soviet 9th Army (Chuikov) 122nd and 88th divisions capture at least part of Salla in the waist of the country. The tiny village itself has been burned down during the fighting on 9 December, but it is a key milestone on the road to the coast. The Soviet long-range objective is the port of Tornio by way of Rovaniemi, the latter of which Soviet plans call for taking in two weeks.

There are only so many useable east-west roads in this part of Finland, and this is the best one north of Suomussalmi. Reaching Tornio would split Finland in two and effectively decide the war. Even just taking Rovaniemi, which sits astride the only major north/south road east of the coast, would seriously damage Finnish prospects. Thus, the stakes are extremely high for the Finns, though the Soviets have multiple options - and all those options may be weighing on them.

Once in possession of Salla, Chuikov has a decision to make, because there is a fork in the road there. What he decides will have a big influence on future events.

The Soviet 7th Army is being shelled by Finnish coastal batteries on the island of Saarenpää. Soviet battleship Oktjabrskaja Revolutsija (October Revolution) attempts to destroy the Finnish batteries, but cannot hit them in dense winter fog. Other Finnish batteries on islands in the Gulf of Finland prevent Soviet naval forces from invading behind the Mannerheim Line to undermine it. The Finns may not have an overwhelming amount of ordnance, but what they do have is cleverly used.

Elsewhere, operations are fairly quiet after a rough week.

Photo: Soviet battleship Oktyabr'skaya Revolyutsiya after modernization, 1934.

 

[Lordhen]

Day 12 of Winter War, December 11th 1939

The village of Suomussalmi is a nothing little place in the middle of endless forests. However, on December 11th 1939, it is the last stop on the road west before the terrain opens up and provides easy access to the coast. Thus, holding it is critical to the Finnish defense.

Colonel Siilasvuo at Suomussalmi with his motley assortment of units is ready to make his move. Departing from his blocking position across the lake from the village, he leaves only a skeleton force of two machine-gun companies and a few machine-gun crews from the 4th Reserve Battalion on the southern bank of Haukpera Lake to block that direction. With the remainder of his small force, he marches back east through the woods past the Soviet forces.

He then tasks Battle Group Kontula to cut the Ratte road, which constitutes the only means of communication for the Soviets based in Suomussalmi. Not only does Battle Group Kontula advance to block the road, it destroys a convoy of six Soviet trucks carrying wounded to the Soviet rear.

The Soviets react slowly - the road is their lifeline - and their headquarters takes its time sending the 44th Rifle Division from the east in relief. Battle Group Kontula squares up and forms a defensive line facing east, waiting, but nothing is in sight. With them blocking any Soviet relief, Siilasvuo takes the infantry companies from the 27th Infantry Regiment and the 4th Reserve Battalion and marches down the Ratte road to the west - straight toward the Soviet 759th Rifle Regiment in Suomussalmi. Simultaneously, he has other elements launch harassing attacks on the town from other directions to provide a distraction. Siilasvuo plans to surround the town and defeat the Soviets there, then turn his attention to other threats later. He is in complete control of the only escape route the trapped Soviets have. The Soviet forces in Suomussalmi are trapped.

To the north, the Finnish 16th detachment continues blocking the Soviet 662nd Regiment, the only other source of succour for the Soviets in Suomussalmi.

 

[Osteles]

Very nice, good read!!!

 

[Lordhen]

Day 13 of Winter War, December 12th 1939

The Finns are counterattacking. Finnish ski troops are able to move through the forests, whereas the Soviets are confined to the roads. Even Soviet Division that have ample ski equipment do not have men trained to use it. The Soviet tanks are a liability in the forests, hard to maintain in the brutally cold weather and restricted to the roads. They also are often left unprotected by sufficient infantry, as the Soviets do not believe in a combined-arms approach.

Colonel Hjalmar Siilasvuo has the Soviet 163rd Rifle Division surrounded at Suomussalmi. His troops have the only way in, the Ratte road, barricaded, but there still is no sign of any Soviet relief effort. He and his men wait.

At Taipale, the Soviets continue trying to smash through the Finnish defenses using only one division. By the end of the day, the Soviet commanders decide to bring in another division, the 10th Rifle Division, and more tanks and artillery. It will take a day or two for these to arrive.

The Finnish defenses at Kollaa also are holding. This is the linchpin of the entire Mannerheim Line and it is well-defended.

At Tolvajärvi, north of Lake Ladoga, the Finnish commander, Colonel Paavo Talvela, sees an opportunity to trap some Soviet troops by sending his troops across the the frozen lakes Hirvasjärvi and Tolvajärvi. He sends one group in the north, consisting of two battalions, to attack the Soviet 718th Rifle Regiment. While the attack fails, it draws off Soviet reserves needed in the south. There, a Finnish battalion of the Finish 16th Regiment fends off a Soviet attack in the morning and goes on the offensive as planned. The Soviet troops are pushed back, and Talvela traps the entire Soviet Regiment, capturing its documents and killing its commander. The Soviets lose over 1,000 dead and equipment (including 26 tanks) that the Finns can badly use. The Soviet 139th Rifle Division is largely destroyed.

The Soviet troops in the far north at Petsamo are being screened only lightly by the Finns, but there is really nowhere for them to go in the round-the-clock darkness of the Arctic winter.

The only Soviet bright spot is at Salla, in the waist of the country. The Soviets are consolidating their advance there, ridding the town of the remaining Finnish troops, and planning their next move west.

 

[Kazanov]

This is an awesome thread

 

[Lordhen]

This is an awesome thread

I hope so.

Day 14 of Winter War, December 13th 1939

Both sides continue battling over Salla, but the Soviets are tightening their grip on the village and looking for their next step. They are at a crossroads there in more ways than one. At Suomussalmi, the Finns remain in control and have completed surrounded the trapped Soviets in the village.

 

[Lordhen]

Day 15 of Winter War, December 14th 1939

In the far north, the Soviets embark on a new offensive in the Petsamo region, the one area where they have freedom of action.

The Soviet destroyers Gnevny and Grozyaschi shell Uto Island.